Homemade Nutella

…now that I know how easy, simple, and cheap it is to make at home. Seriously, this stuff is so easy to make, there’s really no reason to actually buy a jar of it.

I’ve tried a bunch of different recipes, including one from the über-talented David Lebovitz. I went through a lot of hazelnuts! They were all good, but none actually made me think I was eating from a jar of Nutella.

Finally, I stumbled across a recipe from Megan Gordon at The Kitchn. Looked simple enough, but unlike a lot of the recipes I tried it didn’t have any milk, or milk products in it.

Strange thing about this recipe is that it’s not only the simplest I’ve tried, but the best tasting.

Homemade Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350°. Peel the hazelnuts using the directions found here.

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until brown and aromatic, for 12-18 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Place the hazelnuts in your food processor and blend continuously until they turn into a smooth butter, about 3 minutes.

Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tbsp of the oil. Blend until smooth, adding 1 tbsp of oil at a time, as needed, until it’s smooth, creamy, and of spreading consistency.

If stored in the refrigerator, the Nutella is good 2 weeks for a long time…I’ve had some in my fridge for 4+ months (I make big batches of it when I find hazelnuts on sale)

Notes:

Canola oil can go rancid, so while technically there is nothing in the Nutella that would go bad, why risk spending a night praying to the porcelain goddess? Just keep it in the fridge, but don’t be afraid to take it on a picnic either.

Every time I’ve made this I’ve needed a different amount of oil. I chalk it up to the differences in the amount of oil in the hazelnuts.